A/N: This is a fic requested on the Phoenix Wright Anonymous Kink Meme. The OP wanted to see child!Franziska declare that Miles was her price and that she would marry him, and then bring it up to him in later life. So, that's what it's about. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don't own Phoenix Wright or any of its characters; all propery of Capcom. broods

The Perfect Prince

Franziska sat impatiently in her office, absent-mindedly thumbing the corner of a stack of paperwork she had just completed

Franziska sat impatiently in her office, absent-mindedly thumbing the corner of a stack of paperwork she had just completed. This was taking too long! Inwardly, she thought that maybe he just had too much to get finished to arrive on time, but outwardly she just looked angry, as usual.

With a sigh, Franziska pulled a manila folder toward her from the other side of her desk and flipped it open, resolved to pass the time by rereading—possibly for the hundredth time—a case file or two. However, as she began to skim the summary, her mind began to wander…

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Where was he!? She had called him over an hour ago and the fool still hadn't arrived! She was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea; she wasn't sure if she could put up with this total lack of courtesy!

Just as her anger was about to reach the red zone, there was a knock at her bedroom door. "Come in!" called ten-year-old Franziska von Karma, quickly composing herself to hide her anger… and her nerves.

The door slowly swung open and in stepped seventeen-year-old Miles Edgeworth, clad in black dress pants and a plain gray sweatshirt, a bit of a contrast from the fancy white dress Franziska wore. "You… summoned me, Franziska?" He eyed her curiously, wondering what the special occasion was. Yes, she always dressed formally; everyone here did, but she looked even more pristine today and Miles hadn't heard about anything special going on. However, he didn't ask her about it; he was sure it would come up at some point.

"You're late, Miles Edgeworth," she stated, her hands folded in her lap as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Es tut mir Leid," he apologized with no change in his expression. "Your father kept me over for a test."

The young girl frowned for a moment, but then sighed. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. You came, and that's all that matters."

Miles gawked at her. Had she just… dismissed it?! "Who are you, and what have you done with Franziska von Karma?"

"Don't be such a fool, Miles Edgeworth." She stood up and leaned against one of her bedposts. "Of course it's me! And as such, I have a proposal to make."

"Um… Okay. What is it?" He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through her head at that moment, and the Unknown can be a scary thing.

"First, please sit down." She motioned to the edge of her bed, the white comforter spread over it without a wrinkle in sight. Looking utterly perplexed, Miles complied and took a seat on the very edge of the mattress, resting his hands on his knees and awaiting her next sentence. "Now, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've made my decision."

Miles waited patiently for an explanation, now finding himself in anticipation of what type of 'decision' she had been considering without his knowledge, and what it had to do with him.

"You see…" She straightened up and began to pace in front of him, arms still folded. "Father says that I am his heir, correct?"

Miles nodded.

"Well, if I'm his heir, then I'm kind of like… a princess, right?"

Miles' eyes widened in brief surprise at such a statement. A princess? Was that all that this was about, to let him know that she now wanted to be referred to as Princess von Karma or something? "I-I… suppose…" Not in the mood to argue with her.

"In that case…" She stopped pacing and turned to face him, her hands now clasped low in front of her and her head inclined slightly. The white silk dress she wore gleamed elegantly in the sunlight coming in from the window behind Miles, its low-cut neckline only just covering her advanced physical maturity that had seemed to develop along with her mind. "…You, Miles Edgeworth, are my prince."

Miles stared. Had he heard her right? Did she just say that he was… her prince? No, no, no, this had to be a joke. "Franziska… are you—"

"—Serious? Of course I'm serious!" She did not move from her position until after her next phrase. "I do not tell jokes." She moved forward and took up his hands in her smaller ones, looking up into his gray eyes. "I have chosen you as my prince, and one day—when I'm old enough—I will marry you."

Not only had the statement shocked him, but her voice had suddenly become so much softer than he was used to hearing it. It didn't sound angry, bitter, or haughty; it was sincere. He gazed back at the girl, only an inch or so below his eye-level from where he still sat on her bed. She looked confident, and—if he squinted—hopeful.

As Miles looked back at her, he began to actually think about this. A year or so after he had moved to Germany and taken up residence in the von Karma manor under the tutelage of Manfred von Karma, he had simply seen Franziska as a younger sister, though—to satisfy her ego—he had taken to calling her 'Big Sister' in recent years. However, more recently he had found himself looking at her in a different way. He hadn't been able to explain it, and still probably couldn't, but perhaps she had started to look at him in a different light as well. He had simply shrugged it off and continued acting as he normally did around her, but now… Now, maybe it was time to seriously consider this new feeling. She was not a blood relative of his, but she was only ten years of age and he was practically a full-grown man, so it still seemed wrong in a way.

And yet, she had said, "…when I'm old enough…", so maybe harboring these feelings but not taking any action was perfectly okay. Still, he wasn't sure, and some part of him kept telling him that this was just a phase or—in fact—a joke, and that he should just entertain her fantasy and wait for her to grow out of it.

"Miles?"

"Huh?" He had been lost in thought, and was also surprised that his last name had not followed his first.

"How do you think I look today?"

He paused… Well, whether this was just a phase or an honest proposal, it wouldn't hurt to play along for now and see where it went. Maybe both of them would just forget it all in time, or maybe… maybe these strange new feelings would bare fruit as they grew older.

"Absolutely radiant," he replied at last, a soft smile playing on his lips, and to astonishment, he witnessed Franziska's eyes and entire visage light up.

"Oh, Miles!" She jumped up into his lap and threw her arms around his neck, resting her head against his right shoulder. Again shocked, and now feeling a bit awkward, Miles gently placed his hands on either side of her slender waist, the silk of her dress rather pleasant to the touch. He also noticed the sent of her hair: strawberries. The corners of his mouth turned up a bit more and his smile became more relaxed as he rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes.

"I wonder what Papa will think," Franziska mused after a while, her head still resting comfortably against 'her prince'.

Miles' shoulders shook gently as he gave a bit of a chuckle. "I don't think he needs to know just yet."

For the first time since she had lowered it, Franziska lifted her head and looked up at him. Though she had grown far beyond her years, she was still so innocent. "Why not? This is important, isn't it?"

"O-of course this is important," he responded, stumbling slightly over his words as he tried to think up an explanation. "But… if he finds out, he might think that we're… distracting each other from our studies. Perhaps… we'll wait until we both pass the bar exam."

The child seemed to consider this for a moment, and then nodded. "That makes sense. You're smarter than I give you credit for sometimes." And she placed her head against his shoulder again. "I know you'll be the perfect prince, Miles Edgeworth."

His grin returned with a soft laugh as he too returned to his original relaxed position with his chin on her soft, strawberry-scented hair. It sounded so childish, yet somehow it felt great to hear.

The perfect prince. It kind of had a nice ring to it.

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Franziska was drawn out of her memory by the sound of the door handle being pushed down, and she snapped her head up, quickly regaining her professional composure as Miles Edgeworth entered her office. He looked tired, but otherwise she could not tell what kind of day he had had. She wasn't about to ask either… Or… No, today was different, so… so maybe she would ask… eventually…

"You wanted to see me, Franziska?"

"You're late, Miles Edgeworth." She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, glaring across her desk at him.

"I've had a lot of work to do lately," he stated simply, seeing no point in trying to apologize; she wouldn't have it and he didn't really feel he needed to give it.

She watched him for a moment, and then sat forward again, unfolding her arms to rest her hands in her lap and out of sight. "Well… I suppose that can't be helped."

He quirked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. What? No argument? No ridicule? No lecture?!

"Please, sit down, Miles Edgeworth."

Miles glanced over at the black leather couch to his left, back over at Franziska, and then back again to the couch. Almost cautiously he moved toward it and sat down on the edge. He felt like he was at some sort of job interview or something; he couldn't lean back and relax.

Franziska stared at something Miles could not see for a few moments, and then stood up, walked around her desk, and came to stand right in front of him. This forced him to have to look up at her, creating a feeling of insecurity on his part, but he didn't dare let that show.

A faintly familiar scent wafted suddenly in his direction.

"Miles Edgeworth… think back to when we lived together in Germany, exactly ten years ago today."

He raised his eyebrows again. "I… uh… I don't think I can get quite that precise, Franziska. Is there a particular event I should be recalling?"

"Why, of course," she stated calmly, crossing her arms as she gazed down on him. "Our conversation that day began much as this one has: I summoned you, you were late for reasons beyond your control, and I chose not to mind." She spoke all of this as if explaining a concept to him that was so simple yet had flown right over his head.

Ten years, and she expected him to remember something like that! Miles lowered his head enough so that he could rest his chin in his hand thoughtfully. There had been several times she would request his presence in her room to speak with him, scold him, or simply study with him. One of those times had to have something special involved; her behavior had convinced him of that.

She tried not to show it, but her heart was slowly beginning to sink. Had he just been playing along with what he assumed were the childish fantasies of a little girl? Had he meant none of it? She supposed that was rather likely; he had been nearly an adult at the time, and the way she had presented the prospect to him had been rather… childish and fairytale-like. She sighed inwardly; she couldn't blame him, though it hurt.

"Wait a minute…"

Her heart skipped a beat at the utterance of realization. So… did he really remember?!

"Perhaps… Perhaps I do remember one occasion…"

Trying and failing to not get her hopes up, Franziska sat down gently beside him, staring at the floor and watching him out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, she saw him turn his head sideways to look at her, and he was smiling ever so slightly.

"Ah yes! The heir to the 'von Karma throne'… and her Perfect Prince." He chuckled softly and closed his eyes. "Is that it?"

Her bottom lip curled and she bit it, nodding her head slowly. "So, you think I was foolish then." Yes, it hurt, and she was having trouble hiding it.

"Foolish?" He opened his eyes and looking straight ahead, as if there was a sky above them to gaze into instead of halogen lights. "No, not foolish. We were both young and had a strict and demanding path stretched out before us. I was uncertain, and your certainty… well, I have to admit it frightened me. Most would have shrugged it off as the dream of a silly little girl, but I knew better. However… people change. I was hesitant to truly think about what you had said because I was also uncertain about the future. Distraction and disappointment were not things I cared to risk at such a crucial point in both of our lives. So, no, not foolish. Just… a bit too gung-ho."

There was a thoughtful silence between them as Miles concluded his speech and Franziska mulled it over. She understood that he had been unsure and a bit shocked back then, but… what about now? Had he given no thought at all recently, even without the present memory of that day? Was he saying that he had changed and truly had no feelings for her? Was he still uncertain? Or did he…?

"And… what about now?" She finally turned her head to look over at him. Sitting so close to him felt wonderful, and she admired his handsome profile as she waited for a reply. Yet, she felt distanced from him in recent years, and even now as they sat practically shoulder-to-shoulder, he seemed so out of reach. If only…

"You first." He was looking at her once more, and she could feel the slightest tickle of breath on her cheek. It smelled of Earl Grey and its heat made her realize just how cold her office suddenly was.

"I am long rid of childish fantasies," she began, her voice just above a whisper. "However, I… I can't ignore you. Yes, I have changed as much as being a von Karma would allow, but… I've never forgotten, and I don't regret." Her heart was racing as she gazed up into his steely gray eyes and waited, anticipated his response.

He stared deeply into her icy blues, detecting more softness and hope than he had even expected to see in them. Gradually, his expression broke into a genuine smile that reached his eyes, and he saw her lips part in disbelief. "In that case, neither do I."

She only had a moment to register the intensified heat against her face before his lips were upon hers. Her eyes slid shut and she felt hands on either side of her waist, gently easing her onto his lap.

Miles Edgeworth. Her man? Her boyfriend? Her lover?

No.

Miles Edgeworth: Her Perfect Prince.